


Through Darkness - An AD:R Side Story

by NineSixteenths



Category: Pokemon
Genre: Arceus Drops, Arceus Drops: Remembering, Gen, Psychics, Sabrina - Freeform, Saffron City, Team Rocket - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-22
Updated: 2012-03-22
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:56:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NineSixteenths/pseuds/NineSixteenths
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[An Arceus Drops: Remembering Side Story] With Sabrina gone to face the troubles that threaten the world's safety, the Psychics of Saffron are left to secure and defend the Shining Big City alone. They'll soon find a catastrophe of their own to face...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Darkness - An AD:R Side Story

The tunnel grew darker the further in they travelled. Walls that once glowed green from mess and moss reflecting the faded maintenance lights – now pitched black in the absence of electricity. Rushing waters that smelled of gunk and terrible things began to give a stranger stench that matched nothing known to the senses. Even the recurring echoes of footsteps that once provided them an audible sense of direction began to dull out from the atmosphere.

Light and sound were being absorbed, offering nothing to allow judgment of time or space.

Despite this chilling realization, the two young women continued their travels. Fearless, anticipating.

“You sure have some weird sewers under your town.”

“They are not normally like this. We must be getting close.”

Leading of the cautious duo, a young woman of faded eyes and silver hair turned and scanned the deepening network of tunnels with a flickering flashlight. Its batteries were ready to die out; though she was sure she had placed fresh ones in before exiting the previous location.

She sent her mind out, reading and feeling the atmosphere for the further signs of where to move forward.

Though no other thoughts hung in the air other than hers and her partner’s, there was a strange _‘disconnection’_ that pocketed portions of the reality in front of her.

Something was masking its presence, or rather; something’s presence could _never be felt_. And everywhere this something moved, that familiar stench and tingling of _‘nothing’_ would be left behind.

They would be her trail of crumbs. That ‘something’ would no longer be able to hide from them.

“You sure you want to lead, Lianna?” her partner spoke up. The walls soaked in her voice, buffering the sounds as if she were talking into a heavy wind. “I’ve got better nocturnals than you. Back when I trained with my father, he’d throw me out into the forest and tell me –”

Lianna ignored her. This was the fourth time her partner spoke of her father that day… and at least her fiftieth time since she met her those two weeks ago.

Though she had found the violet-haired girl’s admiration for her father to be endearing the first few times she would mention him: she was now growing quite tired of it. In her eyes, the girl was wasting her time and talent by always living under her father’s shadow. She was skilled, powerful, intelligent, and had a bright future ahead of her.

Instead, she had spent her present and plans on the future in constantly comparing herself and everything around her to the past of her infamous father Koga.

Fuchsia City Gym’s Leader… Janine. “The Poisonous Ninja Master”.

Contacted and contracted to help with the routing of Team Rocket’s infiltration of Saffron City, the Poison and Bug Type Specialist had come with her band of thirty ninjas ahead of schedule – ready to support their allies in their time of need.

For those two weeks, her and her team had fought and patrolled alongside the Psychics of Saffron. Their combined efforts in the search and destroy mission against Rocket Agents and their swarm of Dark Pokémon were greatly efficient and effective. Silent professionalism and perfected coordination were skills both Psychics and Ninjas shared and respected – allowing their teamwork to synchronize and complement each other to a great degree.

…except for Janine… who tended to never know when to start or stop stories about her father, and never cared to work with plans made by others.

If she had it any other way, Lianna would have preferred to keep the Gym Leader as far away as possible. She herself cared little for talking, and had a sensitive history with her parents… facts that Janine never bothered to take into consideration as she continued with her blabbering.

However, as the final remnants of the Team Rocket invasion had become harder to track, the Psychics and Ninjas had to be split into smaller teams in order to avoid detection. Any form of being spotted would push the remaining Rockets to flee and bury themselves deeper into hiding. …this mistake had occurred far too often for them in the past few days. To continue risking this flaw would have been elongated the operation for far longer than necessary.

And so, they had separated into sectioned groups. With each capture, defeat, and destruction of a Rocket and their Pokémon, they fractioned off into lesser-sized teams. Until there was only one foe left… the most difficult one to track…

Three days. For three days the last Rocket Agent had eluded them.

Only two of the best Psychics and two of the best Ninjas were necessary in their hunt for this evasive crook.

As long as a single Dark Pokémon remained within Saffron City’s boundaries, the Psychics of Saffron would not be able to see with their minds clearly. And though they could already ‘see’ so much more than they could just those few weeks ago, the Psychics refused to stop searching until the criminal was found.

 _The Mistress would have it no other way._ Lianna thought to herself.

Sabrina, the Psychic Master of Saffron City. Their Gym Leader, their strongest Psychic, their master, their ‘Mistress’… She had been the one to leave Lianna to the duty of hunting the Dark Pokémon. And Lianna took to her duties with eager servitude whenever the Mistress asked it from her.

Because of this, she had requested for Janine specifically when searching through the sewers. She needed the best with her if they found the last Rocket Agent, and Fuchsia City’s Gym Leader was the best there was. _Except for her father_ , as she’d always be reminded.

“Sebastian. Situation with Linda?” she spoke into the radio’s microphone attached to her ear. Her sudden communication had interrupted Janine’s stories, though she hardly cared.

 _“No luck.”_ the voice from the radio’s speaker hissed loudly. _“Linda found where they had been, but the tunnel they used to escape has completely collapsed. According to Linda, the pattern of the dig marks shows that they should be headed your way.”_

“Good.” Lianna removed her finger from the ‘talk’ button and sighed. Her mind itched. Her mouth twitched. Her finger rubbed itself in irritation. She was unused to speaking through machines.

Sabrina had taught the Psychics of Saffron to avoid using electronics of any sort. It was the Psychic Master’s indirect way of spreading their influence over the people of Kanto. Through odd rituals and strange rumors, Psychics had become a sort of myth – and the stories told of them were often exaggerated and terrifying.

What many hadn’t known: was that this was directly influenced by the Psychic Master herself. With these superstitions of Psychics spread and taught by many: they were seen as far more powerful and undefeatable than they truly were. In truth, they were human like everyone else, and had far too many weaknesses to be considered strong. But the world would never learn of this, Sabrina made sure of it.

 _‘Psychics cause machinery to break and glitch whenever they are near them.’_ was a popular rumor. And her Psychics followed this strange folklore with adamant discipline.

That was why her mind itched. That was why her mouth twitched. And that was why her finger rubbed itself in irritation. It took a large amount of her will just to prevent herself from destroying the radio’s frequencies like she was taught.

But the radio was her only way with communicating with the other Psychics… _for now_.

As long as the Dark Pokémon remained, they would never be able to clearly speak with one another through telepathy.

Normally a small number of Dark Pokémon would never weaken their mental bonds to such an extreme degree, but without their ‘Mistress’, the Psychics of Saffron had lost a vital chain in their power and strength.

 _“Mistress Sabrina…”_ Lianna whispered to herself. Her concern for her Mistress had come back – an emotion that would rise and subside on odd hours of the day. And as the days passed, the more painful her worries would become.

It had been two weeks to the day since she had last seen her, since she had last spoke with her.

Saffron’s ‘Mistress’ had left them. Journeying away with a boy named ‘Ash Ketchum’ in order to attend to a matter that concerned the fate of their world. A fate that none of the Psychics could see because of the Dark Pokémon.

The sooner they could rid of Team Rocket’s influence, the sooner they could find the state of the world’s present and future… _The sooner I’ll know the state of our Mistress’ health and safety…_

“So what did Butler say?” Janine’s innocent question snapped Lianna from her heavy concerns.

“…his name is not Butler. It is Sebastian.” she responded, pushing herself to keep her voice audible – a habit she had adapted to in order to better communicate with the often-loudspoken girl. “It seems your student Linda has found traces of our quarry.”

“Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go help them! Trap that little weasel before he can… _er_ … weasel his way out again!”

“We are waiting here in order to ambush him.”

“Hm?”

“They are headed in this direction as we speak.”

The sound of quick footsteps barely echoed. The Poisonous Ninja Master had begun running in place again – an action she was known for whenever she showed excitement. “Alright! Let’s do this!”

“Be silent. They may escape again if they are warned of our presence.”

Lianna shook her head, finding it ironic that she had to lecture a ninja in the manners of silence.

…

“Janine?” She turned, slightly in disbelief that her command had actually worked with the normally-rebellious girl.

No one was behind her. No one was around her. The Fuchsia Gym Leader had disappeared completely.

“Janine?”

 _“Hey! Shut up!”_ the rude comment seemed to come from nowhere. _“We’re supposed to be hiding! He might run if he hears us!”_

A smile formed against the Psychic’s face. Despite her impudence, the ninja had an ignorant charm about her. _Being unseen despite being in plain sight._

**RRRRRRRRRKRKKRRRKRKK!**

The faint sound of rock, cement, and brick breaking rumbled inside the walls and ceilings of the tunnel. Floors and pipes shook, almost appearing as if the sewer would collapse under a monstrous weight.

 _Nothing_ was coming.

A strange sense of _lacking_ and _negative energy_ was burrowing its way towards the Psychic. She trembled in its presence, having never gotten used to the horrifying aura of Dark Pokémon. Their very existence seemed to go against the nature of Psychics… blinding and weakening them to the point of frailty. The very frailness and weakness that Sabrina hid from the world.

**KRAK!**

With a burst of dirt and debris, a large portion of the wall to Lianna’s left had torn open.

Time seemed to slow as a fierce creature of black and grey fur roared onto the sewer floor. Its frighteningly red eyes turned towards the Psychic with a glare. Yellowed fangs with specks of red were bared as it lowered itself into an aggressive stance.

Its matted fur and yellow teeth showed obvious lack of care on its Trainer’s part… but the red found in its teeth spoke of something far worse…

 _The Psychics that went missing four days ago… no… they couldn’t have…_ Lianna backed away, panicking as she shoved her hands into her pockets. _My poké balls! Where are my poké balls?!_

In her fright, the Psychic had completely forgotten of her plan to leave her pokémon within the Gym’s confines. Psychic Pokémon stood no chance against Dark Pokémon, and she had unknowingly rescued their lives in her decision of keeping them away from this battle. …though, she had made herself vulnerable in the process: becoming the fearsome beast’s sole target.

“J-Janine…”

The Dark Pokémon stepped forward. The fur on its back stood up, increasing its visual intimidation.

“ **JANINE!!** ” Lianna screamed out. The creature pounced forward, its jaws widening as it neared her neck.

“Gotcha!”

A flash of black and hot pink covered Lianna’s view. The ever-invisible, yet ever-obvious, ‘stealth’ uniform of Janine’s suddenly appeared in front of her.

As if a living being itself, the ninja’s violet hair flared out – expressing the tension and rage that flowed inside the young woman’s body.

“YOU LOSE! VENOMOTH! BUG BUZZ!”

Janine kicked her foot forward, knocking one of the mightyena’s legs off the ground. Pressing her elbow against its chin, she twisted her body and swung the Bite Pokémon onto its back.

**VRIIIIIIII–!!!**

Vibrating the air, a painfully high-pitch screech tore through the dense atmosphere.

The noise found its target in the downed Dark Pokémon.

“ ** _HROOOOO!!!!_** ” it howled out in pain as the Bug Type attack shook its senses.

In seconds, the pinned beast rolled its eyes back and fainted – halting its struggle.

“YES!!”

Janine leapt off the abnormally large mightyena and cheered at her victory.

“ _The Poison Master’s infamous Venomoth…_ ” A small clap was heard. It became louder as a figure approached from the large hole left by the fainted pokémon’s Dig. “…just as powerful as the stories say.”

Stepping forward into the flickered light of a dropped flashlight, a man in a black and white uniform greeted the two young women with an amused smile. He bowed, allowing his naturally mismanaged orange hair to swing down and cover his goggled eyes.

As he adjusted his posture back to its full height, he pointed to the break in the wall with his thumb. “Too bad you left yourself wide open.”

“ ** _HROOOOO!!!_** ” a separate howl swirled out of the pokémon-made tunnel, its tone far more menacing and unnatural than the mightyena’s.

Swirling with the haunting noise, a pillar of flames struck out and swallowed the unprepared Poison Moth Pokémon.

“VENOMOTH!”

Janine ran towards the wall and kicked herself against it, launching herself through the fire.

She landed in a roll, with her fainted venomoth appearing in her wrapped arms.

The man whistled, impressed.

Lianna’s still-shocked eyes moved quickly down to the emblem to his chest. A bright red _‘R’_ revealed itself faintly in her view. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the duty she was given by her ‘Mistress’. “ ** _Stand down, Rocket! You are in violation of the laws held by the Psychics of Saffron! Surrender now, or face the consequences!_** ”

Her voice was cold, powerful, and menacing. With combination of mental influence and vocal control, she gave a sense of authority that would cause most to immediately obey her commands. A technique taught exclusively by the Psychic Master of Saffron City.

Despite this, the man showed no change in expression. A smirk of smugness stretched on his lips. “I’m sorry; I couldn’t hear you over my Dark Pokémon. Care to repeat that?”

A houndoom of black and deep red fur dragged itself forward.

Its back legs seemed to be immobilized from a past injury or birth defect, yet it held a terrifying glare that showed superiority over all other beings within its path. A warbled growl seethed through its twisted teeth, causing skin to crawl and hair to stand.

“Please repeat it again. My friend here just loves the sound Psychics make just before they meet their end.”

“I…” Lianna backed away, only to be stopped by a brick wall. Her palms pressed against its wet surface, as her mind begged why there had to be a wall there. Memories and past plans began to fade as panic and anxiety came to the fore. She had forgotten that they had made a strange turn to get to this corner of the sewer… hence, the wall.

This forgetfulness would cause her to slowly break deeper in her fears. She suddenly felt cornered… trapped… This would be her end, her last minutes of life – failing in her mission.

_I apologize, Mistress…_

“Explosion!”

“What the– **_AAAAGH!!_** ”

Before anyone could realize what had happened, the Rocket Agent and his dreadful houndoom were thrown across the tunnel by a large blast of energy.

The two crashed against the wall. They both scattered to find their bearings, showing a disciplined background of training – as they would be ready to continue the battle after only a few seconds of recuperation.

Showing even greater training, Janine and a toxicroak spun out of the smoke and landed jabs into their recovering opponents.

“ **AGH!** ”

“ **HROWR!!** ”

The two yelped out in pain.

Several more lightning-fast strikes were smashed into their backs and ribs, as the ninja and her pokémon wouldn’t allow a chance of breath or revival.

“HUAHH!!” Janine roared out as she launched her final knuckled attack into the side of the man’s neck. Her toxicroak had done the same to the downed houndoom.

…

Both enemies were no longer moving.

“A-Are they…”

“Hm?” The violet-haired girl blinked innocently. “…oh! No! No way. We just slowed down their circulation. They won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

Lianna stared in disbelief. Though the actions she had witnessed felt like it had been a part of a long-lasting battle, her re-focused mind had told her that everything had started and ended in a matter of seconds. Not even a minute had passed.

_I know I wanted the best with me… but I had no idea Fuchsia’s ninjas were this… effective._

Janine walked across the tunnels, returning her pokémon to their poké balls… including a weezing… a weezing that neither her nor the Rocket Agent noticed being released.

_No… not the ninjas of Fuchsia. Just Janine._

Lianna gazed at the young female with admiration. _She is truly worthy to carry her title as a Gym Leader and Ninja Master…_

“You know, my father taught me that technique! There was this one time when this crazy-large arcanine came out of nowhere and just –”

 _…if she would stop living under her father’s shadow, that is._ The Psychic giggled to herself.

Mental energy. Flowing.

Clarity. Connection.

Lianna took a deep breath in.

Though the strong smells of the sewer and elemental attacks still polluted the senses, the silver-haired woman felt awake and rejuvenated from taking in the air.

With the Dark Pokémon’s influences no longer affecting the territory of Saffron City, the Psychics of Saffron could finally ‘see’ everything clearly. Pasts, presents, and futures were now accessible. Communication, control, and power-links were bonded back together after weeks of being separated. Events, warnings, and comprehensions slowly trickled in.

Similar to a group of long-lost friends reuniting after years of independence, Lianna’s mind flowed with the mental _voices_ of Psychics near and far from her location.

From women on watchful duty around the Gym, to men training within the underground facilities, to young acolytes studying inside the hidden Library, to old and new friends eating at restaurants and reading books, to even the physically-crippled patients that were locked away in their bodies… the Psychics of Saffron reconnected and rebuilt their psychic links with great eagerness and jubilation.

With each mind that unified, the more they could ‘see’, the more they could ‘know’, and the more they felt ‘alive’.

The life of a Psychic was often lonely and discomforting; it was only through these bonds that their kind felt comfort and safety within a world that judged them in harsh suspicion and fear.

Lianna was no different. She felt at ease. Her body told her it had been years since she’s felt this ‘right’, though her mind clarified that it had only been weeks. She liked that. She liked having her mind at full strength to tell her the truth that the world often refused her from.

**_DANGER_ **

The Psychic’s eyes widened.

With their minds finally back to full awareness, their combined Psychic Might revealed to them what they had been prevented from learning previously.

**_It was all a trap! The darkness! The Mistress leaving! Dark Pokémon! Arceus!_ **

The warnings that blurted through their mental links were broken – choppy – warped.

Though the message was still forming into coherency, each Psychic knew whose voice the warning belonged to… _Samo._

One of the Psychics that had gone missing four days prior, Samo was a promising protégé within the Eye’s Mind branch of their Psychic Schools. The classes of that school focused on forewarnings, prophecies, and possible-futures. And Samo was a prodigy. His ability of being able to see connections between possible-futures in order to make accurate predictions of non-prophesied events made him a valuable asset to Saffron City’s own future.

**_I repeat! Team Rocket is trying to stop us from finding out what’s happening outside of Saffron!_ **

The words started becoming clear as time and focus organized the psychic waves into their correct patterns.

As Samo’s warning continued, many more Psychics began to realize that this was _‘memory’_ – a psychic thought formed and controlled into a continuing and repeating message. The prodigy was far too young and inexperienced to have created something of this caliber – which only meant that all of the missing young Psychics had formed a group to get this warning through.

**_They knew about the Mistress leaving our city! They planned for it. They made sure we’d never find out by leaving Dark Pokémon in Saffron! They’re trying to lure the man the Mistress is following into a trap! It was all a trap!_ **

**_Something’s telling them all of this ahead of time. Something beyond our universe. Something they keep calling ‘the darkness’! They’re going to take the man’s life away… They’re aiming for the Mistress to lead him straight to ‘the darkness’! It was all a trap… We could’ve stopped them… we could’ve!_ **

Samo’s psychic voice began to warble, his emotions getting in the way of his mental focus.

**_They’re after Arceus! The man was supposed to stop them from getting Arceus! But it’s too late! Tomorrow the man will die! In four days they will have captured Arceus! They’re planning on changing everything… Everything! We won’t remember… we won’t remember anything! No… mommy… I’m scared. I don’t want to forget! I don’t want to forget my friends…_ **

Voices from different Psychics, those that had helped him with this message, were taking over as their emotions forced their mental state into a fluctuated struggle.

**_Please, you have to stop them! If anyone is hearing this, please… they’re coming for us! They know I know! They know we know! Stop them… save us, please! Mommy, I love you! You have to warn the other cities! Take care of daddy! I don’t want to forget you, Carol! Stop Team Rocket! Stop Team Rocket! Warn the other cities! They’re at the door. No!_ **

**_Team Rocket is trying to stop us from finding out what’s happening outside of Saffron! They already have Agents stationed at every major city throughout the world! When everything changes, these Agents are going to take over! As long as there’s one Agent still in these cities, Team Rocket will have complete control of the area! You have to warn the other cities!_ **

**_I repeat! Team Rocket is trying to stop us from finding out what’s happening outside of Saffron!_ **

The _‘memory’_ repeated. Its volume and urgency slowly dimming as the Psychics began to lock it away from their thoughts. No one wanted to hear it anymore; some out of emotional pain, others out of fear, and many others out of stress.

Panic and mayhem spread throughout the mental lines. _Chatter_ , _shouts_ , _yells_ , _arguments_ , and _cries_ broke out, shredding apart the clear connection that they all once had with one another.

**_-ENOUGH!-_ **

A single voice had silenced them all.

Sebastian, the ‘Arm of the Mistress’ – the only one that matched Sabrina in mental power within the city of Saffron. His normally-soft and calm mind had roared out, reflecting the private training that the Psychic Master had given him. This rare show of authority frightened many into submission… leaving room for the ‘Voice of the Mistress’ to speak.

 _According to the memory timeline, this warning is already four days old._ Lianna frowned as she began her psychic communication with the others. _We are already too late in saving Ash Ketchum’s life, but we are not too late in warning the others. We still have time._

_Teams. All those within the Theta and Scion frequencies, you are in charge of the Kanto region. Warn all Gym Leaders and League Administrators. Use all forms of communication available to you._

_Alaka and Rhode frequencies, you’re in charge of Hoenn and the Orange Isles._

_Etang and Evoir frequencies, Johto and Orre._

_Chime and Sirius, Fiore and Almia._

_Obbu and Curve, Sinnoh._

_Rowz, Dea, Ocu, Pinnacle, and Owledge; spread the word into other continents as fast as possible._

Lianna’s thought commands were quick, calculated, and clear. All knew where their next duties were placed, and they began to silence themselves from the mental network as their focuses went elsewhere.

Her head felt faint, but satisfied. Satisfied, but faint.

The two-week-long disconnection from other minds had made her psychic abilities rusty and slightly foreign. It was too much strain too soon. She wanted to rest, but she still had a job to do.

**“HEY LIANNA!! EARTH TO LIANNA!!!”**

Janine’s explosively loud shouting and aggressive hand-waving had nearly caused the Psychic to scream in surprise. She halted such an obvious reaction and glared at the Ninja Master.

“Geez! I’ve been calling your name for like twenty minutes! Were you even listening to my story??”

“Janine. There’s no time. You must head back to Fuchsia as quickly as possible.” Lianna said with a calm yet still-audible voice. Though she was taught to add emotions to her words in order to communicate urgency with those who relied on primitive forms of understanding, she refused to do so for the sake of time and focus.

“ _Uh_ … why?” She gave a quizzical look, unsure if she should feel offended by the command.

“I have reconnected my mental link with the others. A warning was left during our search: The major cities of Kanto and other regions are under attack by Team Rocket.”

**_“WHAT?!”_ **

“You need to head there now and –”

Fuchsia City’s Gym Leader took no time in sprinting down the sewer passageways.

The phrase _“They better not touch my favorite restaurant!!”_ was the last verbal sentence that echoed against the hollowed tunnels.

…

With silence forming around her, Lianna stared down at the knocked out Rocket Agent and his pokémon. She was torn.

_Do I spend my time attempting to throw them out of Saffron’s premises? Do I find the Mistress’ current status?_

**_-The Mistress always comes first.-_** Sebastian’s mental voice decided for her.

 _Omega frequency._ she contacted, using her psychic focus to find every member of Sabrina’s Elite. _Distance Search._

As her thoughts melded with the best minds the Psychics of Saffron had to offer, she directed their power to follow the mental _‘scent’_ of their Psychic Master. It was a ‘scent’ she had memorized, one that she could never forget. _Strong, dignified, intelligent, confident, and aware._

Through the ‘scent’, their thoughts formed and spread out… city by city, tunnel by tunnel, region by region, they followed where their ‘Mistress’ had been, where she had gone to, and eventually where she was…

Or rather… was not.

_Mistress?_

_Mistress?!_

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

The ‘scent’ had led them to Viridian City, where her mental waves had formed the strongest reaction to events that they were removed from knowing. A strange entity had left a _mark_ , a psychological _imprint_ – an unsettling feeling surrounded the mind whenever one stared at it for far too long.

In Viridian, the ‘Mistress’ had slowly _changed_ in ‘scent’. It had changed hours before within the forests of Pallet, but had made a sudden _devolution_ after the ‘events’ hidden in the underground network of the Viridian City Gym. Sabrina’s control had loosened greatly, releasing several locks and barriers that had made her invincible as a Psychic… After the ‘events’, she had turned herself _vulnerable_. Refusing to hide her weaknesses…

Far more unsettling for the Psychics of Omega frequency, was when the ‘scent’ travelled and ended in Lake Acuity of the Sinnoh region. Travelled and ended in Lake Acuity. Travelled and ended. _Ended_.

_MISTRESS?!_

Sabrina’s psychic trail had ended in Lake Acuity. A far more powerful ‘scent’ had formed in its absence. Similar to their ‘Mistress’ in many ways, but far too _different_ for it to be the same person.

Shots of hope and confusion sparked through their minds as Sabrina’s ‘scent’ would _reappear_ and _disappear_ as it moved towards and _settled_ into Battle Island – further in the northeast.

Something had occurred. Something major. Something they could not predict or see clearly despite their mental focus being at its peak performance. Whatever it was, it disturbed them.

By all definitions and speculations, their ‘Mistress’ was… _gone_.

Whoever that new _creature_ was, was not their Master. They feared the worst.

Lianna destroyed the connection, no longer able to contain the sadness and anxiety forming in the deepest recesses of her mind. “My Mistress…”

**_-Do not fall to your emotions, Lianna. Our Mistress would not have it.-_ **

_But… you saw it for yourself, Sebastian._

**_-I know what I had seen. But we must do our best for our Mistress now. She would not have us falter to irrationality.-_ **

_You’re… You’re right._

**_MS. LIANNA!!!!_** the combined voices of Evoir frequency screeched into the Psychic’s mind, causing her to grab her head in pain.

_E-Evoir?! What is it?! Status report!!_

**_JOHTO REGION HAS GONE BLANK!!!_ **

_What do you mean blank?!_

**_PHONE LINES, NETWORK CONNECTIONS, AND CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS ARE OFFLINE OR DISCONNECTED!!!_ **

_What about our sister groups located there?! Have you tried –_

**_THEY’RE NOT THERE, LIANNA!! THEY’RE GONE!!_ **

_What do you mean gone?!_

**_SIRIUS FREQUENCY REPORTING IN!  FIORE AND ALMIA HAVE DISAPPEARED FROM THE PSYCHIC MAP! WE REPEAT! THEY ARE NO LONGER SHOWING ANY MENTAL CONNECTION TO OUR PSYCHIC LINK!_ **

_What’s happening…_

**_This is Rhode!! Are you hearing us, Ms. Lianna?!_ **

_Yes! I hear you!_

**_Hoenn and the Orange Isles… We can’t find them!!_ **

**_DEA REPORTS THAT OTHER REGIONS ARE NOT HAILING OUR WARNINGS!! NO RESPONSE!!_ **

_This can’t be happening… No…_

**_Obbu here. We’re so sorry… we’ve lost Sinnoh…_ **

**_Sinnoh, isn’t that where the Mistress was?!_ **

**_We’ve lost the Mistress?!_ **

**_ORRE JUST WENT BLANK! ETANG FREQUENCY REPORTS THAT WE JUST LOST CONNECTION WITH THEM!_ **

_No…_ “ **NO!!** ” Lianna screamed out as she completely wiped her mind from all thoughts. Her instincts began to take over… her emotions speaking out for the first time in years, “It’s too late!! We’re all too late!!!”

_“LIANNA!”_

**“NO! STOP!”** She pulled at her hair, her eyes widening in frustration.

_“LIANNA!!”_

**“WHY WON’T THE THOUGHTS STOP?! I TOLD THEM TO STOP!!”**

_“LIANNA!!!”_ the blaring sound of the voice rattled the Psychic’s attention.

She had realized that the voice was coming from her radio… still attached to her ear.

“Who… who is this?” She pressed at the buttons on the device, half-forgetting what any of them did.

_“It’s me. Sebastian.”_

“S-Sebastian?”

_“Calm down, Lianna…”_

**“BUT THE OTHER REGIONS!”**

_“I know. However, the Mistress would not have us falter. No matter what.”_

**“BUT THE MISTRESS – SHE’S!”**

_“No. Matter. What. You hear me?”_

“Yes… _Yes I hear you_ , Sebastian… I just… I don’t…”

Lianna fell down to her knees, her heart and will broken – though her mind and body continued to function. _And as long as one of those still functioned, the others would never be necessary…_ it was a lesson the ‘Mistress’ had taught her.

But what she could do with the two that remained, she had no idea…

_“Lianna. Reconnect your mind with Omega frequency. You’ll want to hear this…”_

The silver-haired Psychic hesitated, afraid what she’d ‘hear’ within the confines of the mental link.

…

_“Do it for me, Lianna.”_

She breathed in… calming her nerves and blanking her fears.

**_-Okay, she’s in, Omega. Replay it.-_ **

…

**_Lianna, Sebastian, everyone…_ **

Her eyes widened in shock. _That voice… it’s…_

**_-Shhh. Just listen.-_ **

…

**_I wanted to let all of you know that I am doing fine. No… I’m… doing great._ **

_She sounds so different…_ Lianna wiped a tear away from her eye and pressed her fingers against her mouth, trying to stop her lips from shaking.

**_I know you’re all taking good care of Saffron. I’m sorry I am not there to help guide you or strengthen you in whatever challenges you are all facing at the moment… and do not worry, I am well aware of the catastrophe that is currently plaguing our world. I am handling that, rest easy._ **

_Of course she would be… There’s no way she wouldn’t know…_

**_Because of that, I cannot immediately return to our beloved city. I ask you all to be patient and vigilant until my return. I am unsure how long it will take me to complete this specific journey… but I do know that… I might be different once you see me again. I am going through a change as we speak. A change I cannot readily explain through this memory…_ **

_A change…_

**_But know this: I will return to Saffron. Different, changed, and unfamiliar, but still as myself. I still love our city, and still love you all. Please be patient. Please stay vigilant. I’ll be home. Take care of Saffron and each other until then. I am forever bound. Forever your Mistress._ **

…

…

**_-Lianna?-_ **

_Sebastian… our Mistress…_

**_-She is fine. We should have never doubted her.-_ **

A smile crept onto her face. She couldn’t believe how satisfied and excited her mind felt. And though her heart exploded in a wide array of emotions, she ignored it – refusing to give it attention due to its hypocrisies. _The Mistress always told us to avoid listening to our hearts… my thoughts would have never doubted her._

Clearing her head and focusing her every thought, Lianna readjusted her psyche back to peak efficiency.

**_LIANNA!_ **

Panicked mental shouts and screams rung back into her conscious.

The Psychics of Saffron were in complete disarray… and not from what was happening outside the confines of the city… but what had appeared inside it.

**_ARCEUS HAS APPEARED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS! WE REPEAT, ARCEUS HAS APPEARED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS! WHAT DO WE DO?!_ **

**_TEAM ROCKET’S IN CONTROL OF THAT THING!_ **

**_HOW THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!_ **

**_HE SAID WE’D FORGET EVERYTHING! HE SAID EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO CHANGE! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!_ **

**_-SILENCE!-_ **

…

_Thank you, Sebastian… my fellow Psychics, I have heartening news. Our Mistress still lives._

Confused and lost murmurs wandered and crawled throughout their combined thought network.

_Even greater, she is well aware of these troubles and is already in the process of dealing with the situation._

Cheers and surprised gasps of mental reactions began to jitter and shake the frequencies.

_However, she requests one thing of us…_

The psychic voices became still.

_We are to take care of Saffron and each other._

…

…

**_What are your orders, Ms. Lianna!_ **

_We bow to no one but our Mistress. … Let us show the gods why the people fear **us** , Psychics of Saffron._

**Author's Note:**

> Nine-Sixteenths is now out of Arceus Drops hiatus, and is working on Part Two.  
> I look forward to continuing this project! Be patient, and be vigilant! :)


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